1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to an apparatus for reading playing cards and more particularly relates to a device for reading a corner of a playing card while the playing card is face down on a gaming table.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The business of a modern gambling casino requires careful attention to efficiency and accuracy to enhance the fairness of play and the profitability of the various tables. Not only is the speed of play deemed critical by the individual casinos, but most players prefer, and in fact demand, a rapid pace of play. Further, the element of fairness is of utmost importance to both casino owner and player alike.
In the game of blackjack, a time consuming delay arises when the dealer's up card, that is his exposed card, has a value of ten, and his down card is an Ace. Another time consuming delay occurs when the dealer's up card is an Ace, and his down card has a value of ten. In either case the dealer will first play out the hand with the players at the table and, after dealing the last player, will expose his down card. If his down card is an Ace and his face up card has a value of ten or if his down card has a value of ten and his face-up card is an Ace, the dealer has twenty-one and automatically wins. When this condition is present, the time spent dealing to players is essentially wasted. If the value of the down card held by the dealer could have been ascertained without breaching the necessary level of security at the table, the time consumed in dealing out to the remaining players after the dealer had earlier obtained twenty-one could have been avoided and a new hand commenced. Throughout the course of play, the unnecessary delays resulting from this occurrence accumulate to a substantial amount of time, which can be avoided if it can be determined early when the dealer is dealt twenty-one.
However, because casinos now forbid dealers to look at their down cards during a game of twenty-one for security reasons, dealers presently have no way of determining if they have twenty-one until all players have played out the hand. That is, the exposure of any card not intended to be seen by anyone but the dealer imposes a risk to the security of the hand. Further, a dealer, if so inclined, can easily cheat by looking at his down card and providing a sereptious signal to a cohort player.
When weighed in light of the desirability of ascertaining whether the dealer has blackjack when his or her up card is an Ace or has the value of ten, some means are required to speed up play in a manner that is both fair to the players and of low risk to the casino. The inventor is not aware of any devices currently available which address the aforementioned problem except as disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/446,205, filed Dec. 4, 1989, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,102 on Aug. 13, 1991.